Do you think it is necessary for civil engineers to become LEED accredited professionals (LEED AP)? While LEED certification is perhaps the highest valued environmental accreditation and its importance cannot be undervalued in the coming years, we as engineers are led to ask the following questions,

Can you design for sustainability without having LEED accreditation?

Is this just another acronym to put on a business card?

Or, as some suggest, is this a half hearted attempt by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to exploit the demand for solutions to environmental issues and make some money along the way?

I am not particularly enthused by this LEED movement because I still believe that you can design for sustainability without having LEED accreditation. While there are a variety of benefits to having LEED certification or at least having a LEED consultant helping with the project, not having one shouldn’t automatically lead to a disqualification. LEED, AP might be another acronym to put on a business card, and arguably those who have achieved this status certainly have more knowledge and experience in the industry than others who do have not. The interest in sustainable design has dramatically increased in the last few years; thus, I believe LEED accreditation will become even more important, if not second nature, for the industry in years to come.

The problem is not that LEED is if LEED is necessary or not. Like it or not, it is becoming to gold standard when it comes to building and sustainable construction. Clearly, we can’t argue that there has been an exponential growth in the green buildings sector, and this remarkable momentum, signified by the international success of the LEED rating systems, will not come to an end anytime soon. Companies that have adopted LEED building standards are currently reaping the benefits of the increased awareness. What remains is for us all to fulfill our duty as good corporate citizens to do the right thing and contribute toward a more sustainable model of the built environment.

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